Activity for the week of 16 April-22 April 2008

The Weekly Volcanic Activity Report is a cooperative project between the Smithsonian's Global Volcanism Program and the US Geological Survey's Volcano Hazards Program. Updated by 2300 UTC every Wednesday, notices of volcanic activity posted on these pages are preliminary and subject to change as events are studied in more detail. This is not a comprehensive list of all of Earth's volcanoes erupting during the week, but rather a summary of activity at volcanoes that meet criteria discussed in detail in the "Criteria and Disclaimers" section. Carefully reviewed, detailed reports on various volcanoes are published monthly in the Bulletin of the Global Volcanism Network.

New Activity / Unrest

CVGHM reported that seismicity from Ibu increased during 6-14 April and remained elevated during 15-20 April. Plumes described as "eruption smoke" rose to altitude of 1.8-2.1 km (5,900-6,900 ft) a.s.l. during 12-21 April and were gray during 18-21 April. The Alert Level was increased to 3 (on a scale of 1-4) on 21 April. Residents and tourists were not permitted within 2 km of the crater.

CVGHM reported that seismicity from Anak Krakatau increased during 14-21 April; the number of events per day peaked on 20 April. Ash plumes accompanied by propelled incandescent rocks were noted during field observations on 16, 17, and 18 April. The eruption affected the summit and the E and S flanks. Booming noises were reported and occasionally heard at an observation post 42 km away. The Alert Level was raised to 3 (on a scale of 1-4) on 21 April.

Ongoing Activity

Based on pilot reports and observations of satellite imagery, the Tokyo VAAC reported that an ash plume from Sakura-jima rose to an altitude of 4.6 km (15,000 ft) a.s.l. and drifted 100 km E on 19 April. The next day, the JMA reported that a plume rose to an altitude of 2.4 km (8,000 ft) a.s.l. and drifted SW.

INSIVUMEH reported that explosions (1-2 per hour) from Fuego produced ash plumes to altitudes of 4.3-4.7 km (14,100-15,400 ft) a.s.l. during 15-21 April. The plumes drifted 5-8 km SW and ashfall was reported from areas downwind. The explosions produced rumbling and degassing sounds, and shock waves that rattled windows and structures 5-15 km away. The Washington VAAC reported that multiple ash plumes were visible on satellite imagery during 18-19 April and drifted mainly SW.

KVERT reported that seismic activity at Karymsky was above background levels during 11-18 April. Based on seismic interpretation, weak ash-and-gas explosions or hot avalanches may have occurred daily during 10-14. Observations of satellite imagery revealed that a thermal anomaly was present in the crater on 12 and 13 April. Based on information from KEMSD, the Tokyo VAAC reported that an eruption plume rose to an altitude of 3.7 km (12,000 ft) a.s.l. on 22 April. Ash was not detected on satellite imagery. The Level of Concern Color Code remained at Orange.

Based on observations during helicopter overflights, visual observations from HVO and National Park Service (NPS) crews, and web camera views, HVO reported that during 16-22 April lava flowed SE through a lava tube system underneath Kilauea's Thanksgiving Eve Breakout (TEB) and rootless shield complex to the Waikupanaha ocean entries. The Ki ocean entry was inactive during 19-22 April. Occasionally, incandescence from breakouts along the lava-tube system was noted.

During the reporting period, Kilauea summit earthquakes were located beneath Halema'uma'u Crater, beneath Napau Crater, along the S-flank faults, and along the upper E and SW rift zones. The eruption from the vent in Halema'uma'u Crater continued to produce white ash plumes that drifted mainly SW. During most nights incandescence was seen at the base of the plume. On 16 April, a small explosion from the vent ejected ash onto the overlook parking lot and on a portion of Crater Rim drive. Seismic tremor was elevated.

Sulfur dioxide emission rates from the summit area have been elevated at 2-4 times background values since early January. The emission rate fluctuated between 870 and 1150 tonnes per day during 15-21 April, compared to a background rate of 150-200 tonnes per day.

During 18-19 April, the Darwin VAAC reported that low-level ash-and-steam plumes from Rabaul were observed on satellite imagery drifting ESE. According to the VAAC, RVO advised that ash eruptions continued and rocks were expelled during explosions. RVO reported several explosions on 21 April. Billowing ash plumes drifted W and SE during 21-23 April, and caused ashfall about 2 km away in N Matupit on 22 April and areas downwind on 23 April.

KVERT reported that seismic activity at Shiveluch was slightly above background levels during 10-15 April and at background levels on 16 April. According to video footage and visual observations, fumarolic activity from the lava dome occurred during 12-15 April. Based on seismic interpretation, a possible ash plume rose to an altitude of 3 km (9,800 ft) a.s.l. on 14 April. Observations of satellite imagery revealed that a thermal anomaly was present in the crater during 11-14 April. The Level of Concern Color Code remained at Orange.

MVO reported that during 4-18 April the lava dome at Soufrière Hills changed very little, based on measurable parameters. Overflights on 9 and 16 April revealed that the E side of the lava dome continued to erode and exposed more resistant solid material below. A small pyroclastic flow traveled 500 m down the E flank on 10 April and generated a small ash plume that quickly dissipated to the W. Two more pyroclastic flows were observed on 16 April. The larger flow traveled 1 km down the E flank and was followed by relatively strong degassing. The Alert Level remained elevated at 4 (on a scale of 0-5).

The IG reported that although visual observations were mostly limited due to cloud cover during 16-22 April, ash-and-steam plumes from Tungurahua were spotted on 16, 20, and 21 April and rose to altitudes of 6-8 km (19,700-26,200 ft) a.s.l. Strombolian activity at the crater was noted at night on 15 and 20 April. During 16-19 April, explosions were registered by the seismic network. Ash plumes drifted W and SW; ashfall was reported in areas downwind during 19, 20, and 21 April. On 21 April a lahar disrupted the Ambato-Baños route for a few hours.

Use the dropdowns to choose the year and week for archived Weekly Reports.

Year

Week

News Feeds and Google Placemarks

The RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feed is identical to the Weekly Volcanic Activity Report minus some features including the header information (latitude and longitude and summit elevation), the Geologic Summary, and a link to the volcano's page from the Global Volcanism Program. Each volcano report includes a link from the volcano's name back to the more complete information in the Weekly Volcanic Activity Report on the Smithsonian website.

The CAP (Common Alerting Protocol) feeds are XML files specifically formatted for disaster management. They are similar in content to the RSS feed, but contain no active links.

A Google Earth network link for the Weekly Volcanic Activity Report can be loaded into the free Google Earth software, and in turn will load placemarks for volcanoes in the current weekly report. Placemark balloons include the volcano name, report date, report text, sources, and links back to the GVP volcano page for that volcano and to the complete Weekly Report for that week.

Criteria & Disclaimers

Criteria

The Weekly Volcanic Activity Report does not necessarily include all volcanic activity that occurred on Earth during the week. More than a dozen volcanoes globally have displayed more-or-less continuous eruptive activity for decades or longer, and such routine activity is typically not reported here. Moreover, Earth's sea-floor volcanism is seldom reported even though in theory it represents the single most prolific source of erupted material. The Weekly Volcanic Activity Report summarizes volcanic activity that meets one or more of the following criteria:

- A volcano observatory raises or lowers the alert level at the volcano.
- A volcanic ash advisory has been released by a volcanic ash advisory center (VAAC) stating that an ash cloud has been produced from the volcano.
- A verifiable news report of new activity or a change in activity at the volcano has been issued.
- Observers have reported a significant change in volcanic activity. Such activity can include, but is not restricted to, pyroclastic flows, lahars, lava flows, dome collapse, or increased unrest.

Volcanoes are included in the "New Activity/Unrest" section of the Weekly Volcanic Activity Report if the activity occurs after at least 3 months of quiescence. Once a volcano is included in the "New Activity/Unrest" section, updates will remain in that section unless the activity continues for more than 1 month without escalating, after which time updates will be listed in the "Continuing Activity" section. Volcanoes are also included in the "New Activity/Unrest" section if the volcano is undergoing a period of relatively high unrest, or increasing unrest. This is commonly equal to Alert Level Orange on a scale of Green, Yellow, Orange, Red, where Red is the highest alert. Or alert level 3 on a scale of 1-4 or 1-5.

It is important to note that volcanic activity meeting one or more of these criteria may occur during the week, but may not be included in the Weekly Volcanic Activity Report because we did not receive a report.

Disclaimers

1. The Weekly Volcanic Activity Report is intended to provide timely information about global volcanism on a weekly basis. Consequently, the report is generated rapidly by summarizing volcanic reports from various sources, with little time for fact checking. The accuracy of the Weekly Volcanic Activity Report is dependent upon the quality of the volcanic activity reports we receive. Reports published in the Bulletin of the Global Volcanism Network are monthly, and more carefully reviewed, although all of the volcanoes discussed in the Weekly Volcanic Activity Report are not necessarily reported in the Bulletin. Because of our emphasis on rapid reporting on the web we have avoided diacritical marks. Reports are updated on the Weekly Volcanic Activity Report web page as they are received, therefore information may be included regarding events that occurred before the current report period.

2. Rapidly developing events lead to coverage that is often fragmentary. Volcanoes, their eruptions, and their plumes and associated atmospheric effects are complex phenomena that may require months to years of data analysis in order to create a comprehensive summary and interpretation of events.

3. Preliminary accounts sometimes contain exaggerations and "false alarms," and accordingly, this report may include some events ultimately found to be erroneous or misleading.

4. Many news agencies do not archive the articles they post on the Internet, and therefore the links to some sources may not be active. To obtain information about the cited articles that are no longer available on the Internet contact the source.

5. USGS Disclaimer Statement for this Website:

Information presented on this website is considered public information and may be distributed or copied. Use of appropriate byline/photo/image credit is requested. We strongly recommend that USGS data be acquired directly from a USGS server and not through other sources that may change the data in some way. While USGS makes every effort to provide accurate and complete information, various data such as names, telephone numbers, etc. may change prior to updating. USGS welcomes suggestions on how to improve our home page and correct errors. USGS provides no warranty, expressed or implied, as to the accuracy, reliability or completeness of furnished data.

Some of the documents on this server may contain live references (or pointers) to information created and maintained by other organizations. Please note that USGS does not control and cannot guarantee the relevance, timeliness, or accuracy of these outside materials.

For site security purposes and to ensure that this service remains available to all users, this government computer system employs software programs to monitor network traffic to identify unauthorized attempts to upload or change information, or otherwise cause damage. Unauthorized attempts to upload information or change information on this website are strictly prohibited and may be punishable under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act of 1986 and the National Information Infrastructure Protection Act. Information may also be used for authorized law enforcement investigations. (Last modified September 21, 1999.)

An RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feed for the Weekly Volcanic Activity Report first made available on 5 March 2008 can be utilized with the aid of various free downloadable readers. The report content of the news feed is identical to the Weekly Volcanic Activity Report minus some features including the header information (latitude and longitude and summit elevation), the Geologic Summary, and a link to the volcano's page from the Global Volcanism Program. Each volcano report includes a link from the volcano's name back to the more complete information in the Weekly Volcanic Activity Report on the Smithsonian website. On 12 March 2009, GeoRSS tags were added so that the latitude and longitude for each volcano could be included with the feed.

At the end of each individual report is a list of the sources used. We would like to emphasize that the World Organization of Volcano Observatories (WOVO) website (http://www.wovo.org/) lists the regional volcano observatories that have the most authoritative data for many of these events.

A Google Earth network link for the Weekly Volcanic Activity Report was first made available on 1 April 2009. This file can be loaded into the free Google Earth software, and in turn will load placemarks for volcanoes in the current weekly report. Placemark balloons include the volcano name, report date, report text, sources, and links back to the GVP volcano page for that volcano and to the complete Weekly Report for that week.